Helicopter Diving
Are you tired of long boat rides out to your favorite dive site, do you wish that there was a faster way of getting you into the water? Well, now there is, say goodbye to the boat and say hello to the helicopter. Helicopter diving cuts long boat trips into a fraction of what they used to be, meaning divers get out to the dive site not only quicker but more efficiently.
It all starts before takeoff, due to limited space divers must don their equipment before entering the helicopter and are stuck in that position until exiting, this means that all adjustments to gear must be made before setting foot into the helicopter. Divers then load in the helicopter and take off for their remote site. Once reaching the site divers must step down to the railing at the same time so that the helicopter does not shift, at this time the divers have their fins strapped to their Buoyancy Compensator. The divers are then held by someone inside the helicopter until it is time to release. Once the signal for release is given the divers must make sure that they leave at the exact moment, if they do not the loss of weight on one side of the helicopter can cause it to tip to one side and could send it into the water. The entry is done about 5-10 feet above the water, divers roll back hitting the water with their tank first. Once in the water divers put their fins on and proceed to do their dive.
Once the divers have finished their dive they are greeted on the surface by a pickup boat, sorry there is no basket to pick the diver up out of the water and place them back into the helicopter.
Helicopter diving does not require any special type of certification but operators will want divers that have been diving recently, also depending on site some operators may require higher levels of certification.
If you are an adventurous diver looking for a new type of dive check out helicopter diving.
